The Role of Embodiment in Scientific Modeling and Learning About Wetlands Ecosystems (Poster 9)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 9:50 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Learning Across Modalities: Movement, Gestures, Videos, and Images

Abstract

In this study, we examine the impact of a nine-day embodied modeling unit on fifth graders’ understanding of beavers and of modeling. Using a combination of inductive and deductive coding, we analyzed students’ written pre and post tests and interviews to evaluate how students’ understanding of beavers, their role in Wetlands ecosystems, and of modeling changed from before to after the implementation. We found that there was a significant increase in students’ grasp of the scientific content. In terms of modeling, after the implementation, more students could define modeling, saw modeling as interactive/embodied, and expressed positive feelings about modeling. This study has implications for the promise of embodiment for supporting students’ science learning and modeling practices.

Authors

• Selena Steinberg, Indiana University

• Nitasha Mathayas, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Mengxi Zhou, Indiana University

• Joshua Adam Danish, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign